He creates settings in platinum, silver and all different colors of gold.

"It takes the same amount of time to come up with a custom design in silver as it does gold," he said.

Intricate modern styles are his passion, but he also enjoys the fine detail of 1930s style filigree and carving lost wax figures, such as animals and mermaids.

He has an eye for color and though he claims opal and amethyst as his favorite stones and that they are highly complementary when set together, one merely has to look at his other creations to know he loves to play with rich, bold colors.

Manasseri's first job on the way to his career was not as a gold- or silversmith.

He was a plastics supervisor and got fed up with that, so he went to school for metal fabrication.

Gold ring combines orange sapphires with a green tourmaline.

"I started to "cab" my own stones on a lapidary machine and create my own settings," he said.

From there, Manasseri returned to community college in Scottsdale, took classes and his jewelry took on its modern style.

About six months before he started making jewelry, Manasseri and the woman he has been married to for 21 years, tied the knot.

Her name is Pearl.

"You'll be a good saleslady for me, I told her when we got married," Manasseri said, then smiled.